VZCZCXRO2022
RR RUEHAST RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHLA RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHMRE RUEHROV RUEHSR
RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHAH #1194/01 3211101
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 171101Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8018
INFO RUCNOSC/OSCE POST COLLECTIVE
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 001194 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/PPD, EUR/ACE, SCA/CEN (TPERRY), and IIP/G 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KPAO SCUL SOCI TU TX
SUBJECT: A HORRIBLE HALLOWEEN AT THE TURKMENABAT AMERICAN CORNER 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1.  (U) Post received its second protest dipnote on November 13, 
part of a series of complaints from the host government about a 
children's Halloween party that the American Corner attempted to 
host in the city of Turkmenabat on October 30.  While successful 
Halloween events took place at other American Corners, in 
Turkmenabat the Corner continues to bear the brunt of the welayat's 
feudalistic power structure -- where individuals in the local 
government appear to take extra efforts to intimidate post 
counterparts and contacts.  The host government's overblown reaction 
and threats in response to American Corners activities typify the 
confusing, often ridiculous, and heavily time-consuming process of 
interacting with the host government.  That children, teachers and 
parents continue to frequent the corners demonstrates with equal 
force how desperate Turkmenistanis are to engage in non-governmental 
educational and community activities. 
 
KIDS HAVING FUN A THREAT TO THE HOST GOVERNMENT 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶2.  (U) On the night of October 30, about 100 middle and high-school 
aged students and school graduates assembled at a caf in 
Turkmenabat city for a Halloween party organized by the Turkmenabat 
American Corner.  The children had bought tickets to the event, and 
were arriving in costume when local sanitation officials appeared 
and shut the caf down for "health reasons."  The American Corner 
staff attempted to relocate to another caf but two men, presumably 
government agents, warned the owner not to allow the event on his 
premises.  At the same time, attendees reported seeing two cars 
parked near the caf, and in one a man was videotaping the crowd. 
(Comment: About 150 youth had bought tickets to the event but Corner 
staff later learned that several had been warned by school officials 
not to attend.  End Comment.) 
 
¶3.  (U) On October 31, American Corner Director Nina Afanasyeva was 
called in to local education department headquarters, where she was 
interrogated and threatened with prison by Lebap Welayat Hakimlik 
representatives Agamurad Jomartov, Chief of the Department for 
Relations with International Organizations, and Batyr Abdiyev, 
Senior Specialist of the same Department; also present were two to 
three representatives from the Education Department (Oblono) and 
local tax service.  The tax service officials insisted that the 
American Corner was illegally making revenue off ticket sales and -- 
to compound this crime -- would not have the mechanism to pay taxes 
on this revenue because the Corner was not a registered 
organization.  Afanyaseva explained that tickets were sold to defray 
the cost of the event and to support a charitable donation to a 
local elderly home.  The local officials emphasized that Afanasyeva 
was flirting with the prospect of prison for her crimes.  The 
browbeating was similar in style to that administered to Afanasyeva 
in mid-December 2005 after a visit by CAO and the Embassy Grants 
Coordinator to give an open presentation on grants to Corner 
visitors (Comment: At that presentation, a representative of the 
Department for Relations with International Organizations and the 
welayat official in charge of curriculum development, Kerimberdy 
Masharipov, had behaved in a threatening manner to CAO, Afanasyeva 
and Corner visitors, first demanding participant names and, when CAO 
refused, making a show of taking down the names of the participants. 
 End Comment.) 
 
HOST GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES COORDINATED PROTESTS 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  Post received the following protest dipnote on October 31 
(#09/273n):  "ACCELS Coordinator in Lebap Welayat Nina Afanasyeva 
distributed tickets to a celebration of an American holiday 
"Halloween" among students of secondary schools of Turkmenabat city 
at a price of 20,000 manats without prior agreement of the Turkmen 
side. 
 
First, this event was planned to be held on October 30, 2006, at 
19:00 at the Selbi Caf.  Since this disco club was closed by 
sanitary-epidemiological services, the event venue was moved to the 
Cardelia Caf, but the event wasn't held there either.  150 
teenagers along with Peace Corps volunteers were supposed to 
participate.  Supposedly, Afanasyeva was intending to hold the 
activity in the Asia Caf on October 31, 2006. 
 
In connection with the information above, the Turkmen side demands 
that the US side not conduct such actions from now on." 
 
¶5.  (U) Soon after receipt of the protest dipnote, Emboffs began 
receiving oral protests from the host government, including a call 
from Ministry of Foreign Affairs Americas Desk chief Serdar Bashimov 
to the CAO and a reprimand from Minister of Education Shemshat 
Annagylyjova to Emboffs and the Charge d'Affaires during an October 
 
ASHGABAT 00001194  002 OF 002 
 
 
31 meeting on educational issues.  These protests consisted of three 
complaints:  that the American Corner was not authorized to collect 
revenue, that the activities of current students fell under the 
purview of the Ministry of Education and that therefore the American 
Corner was violating the rights of the Ministry of Education, and 
that Halloween was an alien concept of no educational value.  At the 
same time, the protests included the statement that post and the 
Corners were allowed to hold events, as long as the embassy informed 
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in advance via a diplomatic note. 
Post acknowledged that this requirement was made of all public 
events and reminded Corner staff of the need to inform the embassy 
of such large events to prevent such protests and harassment in 
future. 
 
HOST GOVERNMENT SHUTS DOWN AMERICAN CORNER EVENT, THREATENS PARENTS 
AND CHILDREN 
---------------------------- ------------------------------ 
 
¶6.  In defiance of the local government threats, the American Corner 
staff attempted to hold a much smaller version of the event on 
Corner premises, for about twenty local youth, on November 1, 
prompting government agents to come in and break up the event again, 
protesting that it was illegal and that Afanasyeva had disobeyed 
host government orders.  This second attempt to hold a fun event for 
local youth prompted a protest call on the morning of November 2 
from post's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Americas Desk Officer to the 
PAO reiterating the host government's earlier complaints.  In the 
meantime, American Councils relayed several reports from Turmkenabat 
that the directors of nearly every school in Turkmenabat had called 
parents in and questioned them about their "child's behavior" and 
activities, and in some cases told either parents or their children 
that involvement in American Corner activities could cost the 
parents their jobs.  (Comment: In at least two cases, parents 
reported having to sign letters to the local educational department 
promising no further contact.  End Comment.)  Turkmenabat Corner 
staff reported that several students rushed into the Corner during 
the day to report these threats and return borrowed items. 
 
¶7.  (U) On November 7, post issued its own protest dipnote (No. 
1118/06) in which it asked the host government to cease from 
harassing patrons and staff of the Turkmenabat American Corner 
(excerpt): 
      "Such harassment violates the spirit of cultural exchanges 
which the Embassy wishes to cultivate with the people of 
Turkmenistan.  The Embassy has received numerous reports of threats 
and warnings to local schoolchildren not to attend events at or 
otherwise visit the American Corner. 
 
      The Embassy will make every effort to inform Government of 
Turkmenistan officials of its sponsored events.  In the event that 
local officials question such events, Embassy requests that the 
Embassy be immediately contacted by the Ministry, local harassment 
of local participants in these events is unacceptable."  Following a 
week of consideration, the Embassy received a second protest dipnote 
from the host government (No 09/273n of October 13, 2006) which 
failed to respond to these charges and instead echoed the host 
government's earlier complaints." 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶8.  (U) Post and the American Corners are daily engaged in efforts 
to transparently engage members of the public -- but incidents like 
that in Turkmenabat demonstrate that post's domain and rights is a 
daily evolving concept.  When organizing events, post takes into 
account that current students and teachers in Turkmenistan's schools 
are de facto the property of the Ministry of Education in all 
extracurricular activities, even on weekends and during vacations. 
Students and parents are aware of the risks to engaging with foreign 
agencies, but the lack of alternative social and educational outlets 
for youth has made the American Corners' programming very popular, 
even among some brave employees of state agencies 
 
¶9.  (U) Threats to university level students and teachers have 
proved effective in preventing these groups from frequenting the 
Corners.  Post notes that a coordinated local government effort to 
threaten teachers away from the Turkmenabat Corner in 2004 has 
succeeded in keeping most teachers away.  This most recent incident 
of coordinated threats against Corner patrons is the most extensive 
effort against any American Corner of which post is aware. 
Additionally, this is the first known instance of Turkmenistan 
authorities closing down an event being held physically inside an 
American Corner.  Youth who have graduated are no longer subject to 
the desires of the Ministry of Education and, with no opportunity 
for higher education available immediately upon graduation, comprise 
a steady percentage of American Corner visitors.  End Comment. 
 
BRUSH